Poets Wanted: NC State Poetry Contest is Now Open

Polish up your best poems. The NC State poetry contest is underway. Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program , the annual contest is free and remains one of the largest in the South.

If last year is any indication, competition will be fierce: 700 poems were submitted. The grand prize winner will receive $500, while the best undergraduate submission will earn its writer $100.

The poetry contest is open to all NC State students and all North Carolina residents, although some restrictions apply. Contestants can submit up to three poems. The deadline’s fast approaching, though: make sure your entries are postmarked on or before Wednesday, February 25.

Guest judge and poet Gibbons Ruark.

Guest judge Gibbons Ruark will present the awards and read from his own work on March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Caldwell Hall Lounge on the NC State campus. Among his other accomplishments, the award winning poet has published eight collections, received three NEA Poetry Fellowships and was included in the anthology 2009 Best American Poetry. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the contest or Ruark’s appearance, visit the Creative Writing Program’s 2015 Poetry Contest web page.